At GMS, we recognize the importance of being engaged in our professional community through organization membership, peer-networking, and conference participation. Not only does this help us keep abreast of the most current technologies and practices, it also allows us to share our experiences and provide guidance to other professionals. We therefore endeavor to serve as leaders within the community by assuming governing roles in various engineering organizations.

Jonathan Hernandez is the current President of the Structural Engineering Association of New York (SEAoNY). The purpose of SEAoNY is to advance the art of structural engineering in New York by improving the flow of ideas and building the community of colleagues. SEAoNY also reaches out to other professionals, outside the engineering community, who work in related fields with common interests. The association sponsors workshops, panel discussions, lectures and seminars with the aim of addressing topics of interest and concern to structural engineers. SEAoNY is a member organization of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA).

Vicki Arbitrio chairs the Metro Region Board of Directors of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of New York. ACEC-NY is a proactive coalition of 270 firms representing every discipline of engineering related to the built environment—civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, geotechnical—and affiliated companies; the Metro Region is the largest of 8 regions in NYS with 118 offices. The Council’s goals are to further the business interests of its membership, enhance the quality and safety of the environment we live and work in, and help ensure the vitality of our communities. Since its founding in 1921, ACEC New York has served as a source of ideas, a sounding board and a professional resource for state and city leaders, as well as a fervent promoter of the profession.